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---~-~---:---_..'~ --~-----~-ftY- ct dyy~~.t/;'-e;{<--u ~:t yc?-;t-;~~r</ 0 Qk/ ,."d/e~~oh-:e- RIr;,r<!1 -

t)/-L ~'~ L- . ~;lUf-:Kj If rf/ -f ITHE ISLAND GROVE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH P

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Wh~; Illinois became a State on December 3, 1818, it was composed of

fifteen Icoupties. Sangamon County, however, was not established untilJapuary 30, 1821, by an act of the Illinois General Assembly. It was notuntil 1849 that the Il]inois General Assembly provided for township organ­

ization", Each' county had the option to organize into tow"Iisr..ips.SangamonCounty did not exercise its option until 1861, at which time Island Grove

To," ship I was formed.

, 'Early settlers in Island Grove came from Kentucky, Tennessee and

Vi rg1nia1 Later, large .numbers of German and Irish settled in the Grove.

The early settlers migrated from wooded areas, and were attracted by thetimber in the northern part of' the township.

IIsland Grove was eigrlt miles long and one mile in width, extending

along a branch of' Spring Creek which ran through the northern stand of timber.

Surrounding the Grove was rich prairie land covered with'grasses and bloomingI

ro~in weed taller than a man on horseback. Nestled at the head and foot of

the Grove, were two Indian villages. Three hundred friendly Indians of the

Potowatomie and Delaware tribes exchanged goods with the white man.

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As the Island Grove community took shape~ the Island Grove Methodist .

'ChuJ"ch was or(;anized. Methodism had strong foundations in the United States,,and the We~tern Conference was the largest conf'erence Methodism ever esta-. blished •.~ It covered all the territory claimed by the United States west of

the Allegheqy Mountains. Circuits were established to keep the Methodi0t

flocke banded together, and the circuit found a horne in Island Grove in 1822

or l62~. I Reverend Price, a traveling circuit rider, established the church.

Island Prove Methodist Church was a circuit appointment until 1849.

During th~ ear~y l800's large congregations that could support a ministerwere non-~Bt&nt in Illinois. The typical structure of the Methodist churchwas the circuit. A circuit was made up of a number of'preaching points

guided b.11 an itinerant circuit rider every two or three weeks. Most of thepoints were located where a class met regularly for bible study, prayer and

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admpnition •

. A c;lass leader, either a devout l~an or local preacher was appointed./to report I on the members to the circuit rider. The Island Grove Methodist

Church appointed Reverend James Sims aaits first class leader, and themembers first met in their homes.

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Two men were to join the Island Grove congregation, who would help shape

its future. Captain James' Nicholas Brown and Jame5 Douglas Smith left their

native State of Kentucky lat~ in the Spring of 1832. Leaving on horseback

for nl~Ois, tht)ir object wa.s to find a free territory and a tract of land5uitable for new home~. Arriving in Jackso~ville, Illinois they boarded a

stage for'ISpringfielp, Il'J,.inois. part way on the journey they passed throughIsland Grove and ,were :.ured by the timber. Brown and Smith filed for tractsI

in the Grove through government entr,y. They returned to Kentucky in 1833.

Be:l;.nJstrict Methodists, Brown and Smith were in favor of abolition.Each of the men owned plantations and slaves. But, before returning to

Il~1noi! with their families, they freed the slaves.

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Aboli tion was no stranger to the l'iethodist, and a strong mati vatior; for

mp.J1Yl·jethodi~t southerners to migrate to Illi:r:ois• .h.nti-slavery sentir.lentwasone of the strongest forces that ilifluenced public opinion when the issue of

~laverj exterision into L.linois was raised. FeteI' Carh:r.ight, an outsp,)kenleader summed up the Hethodist opinion:

"slavery had long been agitated in the Methodist Churchand our preachers although they did not feel it to bethJir duty to meddle with it politically, yet, as Christians

and Christian ministers, be it spoken to their ~ternal'

crJdit, they believed it to be their duty to bear theirtestimony against slavery as a moral evil, and this is

th~ reason why the General Conference, from time to time,

paJsed rules and regulations to govern preachers andmembers of the church in regard to this great evil."

constitJting a station by 18ti9,Island Grove selected Brown and Smith astheir station stewards. Peter Cartwright was appointed Presiding Elder and

Sa~uel Elliott was appointed the station preacher. Island Grove boasted amembership o£ 38 members and six more on probation. A station was a congrega­tion large eJough to support a minister full time. Ministerial support was

made possibl~ by Brown and Smith's contributions •.

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The congregation met in a log structure for weekly services. By 1850 the

surrounding ~ommunity was the center of a productive and prosperous farming

area. With ~he advent of saw mills in the area, frame houses dotted the

Grove •. The ~rove boasted several general stores, at least two taverns, -:~wo

blacksITuth shops, one wagon 5h~p, one shoe maker, a flour mill, meat packingplant$ hotel,! stage coa.ch stat~on, drug store, barber shop, bakery and severaldoctors.

By 1862 ISmith and Brown had amassed more wealth by importing the firstshorthorn cattle to Illinois. From 1856 to 1867 the grand herd prize at theIllinois State Fair was won bv the Grove Park herds. The two men were able

to arr&~ge f~r the bUilding of a new church structure for the benefit of the

community. I? 1862 a brick building, made of soft bricks made at a Virginia,

Illinois brickyard, was placed under construction. The church had a parsonagefor their min'ister" an adjoining stable, a buggy shed and a long hitching rack.

Island G~ove Township was diminished with the formation of New Berlin

Township in 1869, but the Island Grove·Methodist Church continued with greatspiritual suc~ess. Twelve ministers served Island Grove Methodist Church from

1849 to 1869.1 They were: Rev. Samuel Elliott 1849 - 1851, Rev. W. D. Barton

1851 - 1852, Dr. J. C. Finley 1852 - 1854, Rev. W. J. Newman 1854 - 1856, Rev.W. F. Short 1856 - 1858, Dr. A. H. Davis 1858 - 1859, Rev. C. D. James 1859 _1861, Rev. R.IRobLlson 1862 - 1863, Rev. James H. Dickens 1863 - 1865, Rev.William McKendree McEl£resh 1865 - 1868 and Rev. Wo B. Barton 1868 - 1871.

Far fromlfading as many of the country churches did, ~~th the advent of

better roads ~d automobiles, the Island Grove church remained active. The

stables, buggy shed and hitching rack disappeared, but the church remained,

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1covered \.-i th leafy vines in the SUJTL"Tler and surrOlmded by a large ca.refullyattend~d park. At tte sides ai'1drear of the church ~\Tood;.;reathce:neteryislocated. The land for this cemetcr'Jv;asdonated by .!anesBrC'I.-'rh The nameof BrowTI is seen frequently among the tombstone5. The family prospered for

genera~ions in the area as did the Smith f~~ily. For generations, the Brownand ~~th families were prime contributors to the support of the church.

Thirty-eight ministers served at Island Grove from 1871 to 1976.Rev. James H. Dickens 1871 - 1872, Rev. Ira B. Henry 1872 - 1875, Rev. N. R.\Vhiteh~ad1875 - 1876,·Rev. J. L. Cr~~e 1876 - 1878, Rev. \Vffi. J. Rutledge1878 - 1882, Rev. W. G. Dungan 1882 - 1886, Rev. Jo Frar~ Crane 1886 - 1887,Rev. J.I R•.Van Pelt 1587 - 1888, Rev. N. H. Davidson 1888 - 1890, Rev. JohnZver1y ~890 - 1892, ~ev. Chas. T. McKo,~ 1592 - 1894, Rev. W. Eo Blair 189h ­1895, Rev. S. Keplinger 1895 - 1896, Rev. S. ~. Beggs 1896 - 1900, Rev. E. L.Darley 1900 - 1901, Rev. Albert H. Flagg 1901 - 1906, Rev. O. B. ness 1906 ­1908, R~v. W. L. Selby 1908 - 1909, Rev. N. R. Johnson 1909 - 1915, Rev. J. O.Ler.JiJ.an1915 -1916, Rev. D. E. Jol-illson1916 - 1917, Rev. John A. Betcher 1917 -."1920, Rev. John R. Cheuvrant 1920 - 1921, Rev. Samuel Graves 1921 - 1922,Rev. J~es D. Reed 1922 - 1923, Rev. R. N. Johnstone 1923 - 1927, Rev. M. O.Smith 1927 - 1930, Rev. Harry F. Higgins 1930 - 1931, Rev. Delbert Abbott 1931­1932, Rev. Elmer Woods 1932 - 1934, Rev. Geo. F. McC~~ber 1934 - 1942, Rev.E. R. Cory 1942 - 1944, Rev. D. L. Jeffers 1944 - 1950, Rev. Kenneth Goodell1950 - 1951, Rev. Vincent Van Horn 1951 - ~ovember 1951, Rev. Finiz Maine 1951~I

1952, Rev. \J. G. Montgomery 1952 - 1955, and the present IT~ister Rev. Dr.McKendree M. Blair 1955 -.

OnlAUgUst 12, 1923 Island Grove celebrated One Hundred (100) years. In1965 the church marked its l03rd year in the life of the present building.

Dr~ McKendree M. Blair, the present minister, is the grandson of Dr.William McKendree McElfresh who was pastor of the Isl~~d Grove Parish forthree years following the Civil "Jar. "\"/henDr. Blair caroeto the Grove churchin 1955,1the interior of the sanctuary was just as it was when his grandfather,Dr. McEIfresh served the Church.

The ten years between 1955 and 1965 were busy years of improvement. Fundsa~ounti~g to about $10,000 for church irr~rovements were secured by the Woman'sSociety of Christian Ser\~ce. Remodeling included a basement, gas heatingsystem, ~uck-pointing and weatherproofing, newly furnished sanctuary, newpiano, electric organ, divided chancel, altar, pulpit, church Bible, new pews,coat racks and offering plates.

Gifts from the Woman's Society of Christian Service purchased a WurlitzerSpinet O~gan, Cable Piano, Christian and United States Flags, carpet, cathedrallamps, and fUrnishings for.the Sunday Schoolo A pulpit was given in memory of

¥~.Clin~on F. Corrington by Hattie Clarke Corrington. An altar, dosal, cross,candlesticks and vases were given in memory of Dr. William McKendree McElfresh"by his g}andson Dr. McKendree M. Blair. Offering plates were donated in memor~of John T. and Cornelia B. Hensey by the children. A lectern Bible was givenin memorY of Virginia ~mitlock Erickson by Edward J. Erickson. The lectern wasgiven in Imemory of Rev. °D. L. Jeffers~pastor of the church 1944 - 1950. Pewswere given in memor~ of Elmer Ho Dunn by Leldon O. DlliJnjJ. D. Smith I, II, IIIby Harriet D. Smith; l1r.and 1irs. Sidney (SLm) Yates by the children; HazelMoxon Scott by Harry Scott and Virginia King; Melvin Paul Walter by Mr. and Hrs."I

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H2.11ace \-!8.1t~r; The EarshaU 'dilcox family and Albert "':'ilcox, Sr., Fred and

1':at!;erinel r;oenler by their ehildre:'!; Hr. 'L:~ }~rs. John C. La"Tence by theirchilOren; J. Reuben Keeney by his .dfe Lillian; Bessie ?;. aI1d J. Rauben Kf'&r>.€:,by their ~hildren; and l{r. and Mrs. Frank Taylor by their family and friends.

Aodi tional pews were given by Hr. 8.J.'"1d ,HI'S. Dan L. Clark and nine pews werepurchased ~.th the John H. Keeney fund. Hat and coat 'racks were given in

rr.emor.f of Ho••ard Rhea i:inJ.r"ler by Hr. and },J-s. Fred ~;inkler; and J. ReubenKeeney by Mrs. James Blakey. Evergreen plp.J1tings at the church entrance weregiven in mem:JI'"j"of John Reichart by l:J-s. John Reichart and her daughters.

Tile I nooring, ceiling tD e; redecoration of the sanctuary, excavation oithe tE.Ee:r.ent, gas furnace, tuck pointing, weatherproofing and iron grill i..Iork~ere purchased from the building fund.

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Island Grove Methodist Church has remained steadfast in religious faith and

spiritua1~ty and Continues to be a vital part of the surrounding cO~flronity.

ContributL by

Hrs. John IA• (Genelle) McCullough •.------------------------------------NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE

ISeveral national genealogical organizations have formed a coordinating committee for thepurpose of exploring ways of cooperating and coordinating activities and projects in an'effort to ~vGid duplicution. This committee can pl~y un important part i~ directing

i!various ilctivities which eventually wi 11 strengthen al1 participating organizations arl";further the cause of genealogy nationwide.

ITwo l11eetirtgshave already been held. The first was at Salt Lake City during the World

Iconference on Records and was called by Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern, former president of theAmerican Society of Genealogists. A second meeting was held October 4 in Sa1em, ~lass.,

lin conj(Jnction with the annual meeting of the American Society.of Genealogists_ A third

!meeiing wi 11 be held in At1anta, Georgia in May during the National Genea10gical societyconference:.

Ipersons attending the Salem meeting were: Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern, New York; Robert C.IAnderson, Mass., and Mary Harter, Florida, representing the American Society of Genealo­

i9ists; Arlene Eakle, Utah, representing the Association of Professiona1 Genealogists:!Rich.1rdS. Lackey, Miss •• representing the Association for Genealogical Education; MiHan

IRubincam, Maryland, representing the Board for Certification of Genealogists; Robert O.Anderson. Nebraska, and Arthur Sniffin, New York, representing the Federation of Genea­

110gical SOtieties; Varney R. Nell and Bill Linder, Virginia, representing the NationalGenealogical Soci~ty; ~nd lorraine Bra~ninG~ of the National Archives.

FIRST NGS CONFERENCE IN THE STATES

The National Genealogical Society's 1981 annual conference will be held in Atlanta, GA.,Thursd/JY, May 7, through Saturday, May 9, ho:;tedby the Georgia Genealogica1 SOciety.This g~th~ring of ama~~ur'qnd professional family history researchers from over the natienwill be the first in a series of annual conferences to be held around the country. The

meeting will feature addresses by NGS officers and other pr~"in€nt genealogists, studygroups for state and local society officers, ler.tures and workshops on research methods,and exhibit,S by genealogical vendors and publishers.

Atlantdnl; Thomas Porter, Georgia Genealogical Society president, dnd Rita e. Worthy,NGS~GG$ liason person, note that the GGS membership is extremely p1eased that thi~ (on­fer~nce will be held in Georgia. Porter pointed out that the conference will provide aforum for the exchange of ideas and an opportunity for family history researchers fromover the nation to become better acquainted.

Sit~ of the conference is the Century Center Hotel, near 1-85 northbound. Contact personfor written inquiries is Marie Scheram, 105 Finchley Court NW, Atlanta, GA 30328. Phonecontacts are Sam Whigham (404) 255-0725. Eleanor Terre1l (404) 478-2784, or NGS headquar­ters in Washington, D.C., (202) 785-2123.

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